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A 26-year-old man wanted in New York City for allegedly stabbing two women in Phoenix and Surprise and in connection with the beating death of another woman has been indicted by a Maricopa County grand jury.
Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said Tuesday that Raad Noah Almansouri was charged with two counts of attempted first-degree murder, two counts of aggravated assault, one count of attempted armed robbery and two counts of attempted sexual assault. One count of theft of means of transportation.
The charges stem from two separate incidents against two women on Feb. 17 and Feb. 18 in Phoenix and Surprise.
He was taken into custody by Scottsdale Police Department officers on the same day of the second alleged attack, authorities said.
The grand jury indictment replaces the direct charges filed against Almansouri last week, according to the Maricopa County Attorney's Office.
Mitchell last week rejected a request to extradite al-Mansoori to New York City to investigate the murder, saying it would be safer to hold him in Arizona.
New York City police said they want Almansouri extradited in connection with the Feb. 8 murder of Dennis Oleas Aranchibia, 38, at a Lower Manhattan hotel. The prosecutor's office said charges in New York state won't be formally filed until someone is extradited.
Oleas Aranchibia was found by staff on the floor of her hotel room. Police said her death was caused by blunt force trauma to her head, and a broken clothes iron was found at the scene.
New York authorities are working with the FBI to determine if there is any connection to crimes in Florida and Texas, where Al-Mansouri previously lived and was arrested.
The decision not to extradite Mr. Misel was seen as a “political maneuver” by the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, led by Alvin Bragg.
Mitchell is a Republican. Bragg is a Democrat who filed a high-profile lawsuit against former President Donald Trump alleging hush money was paid to cover up an affair during his 2016 campaign.
“Having watched Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg treat violent criminals in the New York area, I think it's safer to keep him here and detain him,” Mitchell said.
The Manhattan District Attorney's Office responded.
Manhattan DA spokeswoman Emily Tuttle said in a statement: “It is deeply disturbing that Prosecutor Mitchell is playing politics with this murder investigation.'' It's a slap in the face to them and to the victims of this incident.” Demanding justice and full accountability for the deaths of New Yorkers. ”
The statement also said Bragg's office “takes the safety of New Yorkers seriously,” adding that homicides have fallen 24% since he took office. Tuttle said New York state's homicide rate is less than half that of Phoenix.
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